Climate averages 1991–2020
Palmerston North weather
in March.
A mild, moderately wet month: the 3rd warmest and the driest of the year.
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
March is a mild month in Palmerston North: daytime highs average 19.6°C and nights cool to about 11.9°C. By daytime temperature it is the 3rd warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 62 mm of rain on roughly 9 days, which makes March a moderately wet month (the driest month of the year). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 12 h 23 min on an average March day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Lower Hutt (112 km away). In March its highs average 18.5°C, 1.2°C cooler than Palmerston North, with 59 mm of rain.
Among the 11 cities listed in New Zealand, Palmerston North ranks 6th of 11 for the warmest March highs and 6th of 11 for the driest March (rainfall, lowest first). The mean March high of those 11 cities is 19.6°C; Palmerston North is 0.1°C warmer than that mean.
From March to April, average highs fall by 2.7°C to 16.9°C, and monthly rainfall rises from 62 mm to 82 mm.
The annual picture
March in context
Monthly rainfall
Average total · mmAverages from hourly ERA5 reanalysis data. Actual weather varies from year to year. How these numbers are calculated
Every month, side by side
Palmerston North climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Rainfall mm/month | Rain days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 20.8°C13.1°C | 13.1°C | 70 | 10.5 | 14.715 h |
| February | 21.4°C13.4°C | 13.4°C | 64 | 8.3 | 13.714 h |
| March, selected | 19.6°C11.9°C | 11.9°C | 62 | 9.4 | 12.412 h |
| April | 16.9°C9.7°C | 9.7°C | 82 | 10.7 | 11.011 h |
| May | 14.4°C7.9°C | 7.9°C | 79 | 11.9 | 9.910 h |
| June | 12.1°C5.9°C | 5.9°C | 90 | 13.2 | 9.39 h |
| July | 11.4°C5.1°C | 5.1°C | 89 | 13.2 | 9.610 h |
| August | 12.1°C5.2°C | 5.2°C | 89 | 13.8 | 10.511 h |
| September | 13.5°C6.5°C | 6.5°C | 94 | 14.2 | 11.812 h |
| October | 15.1°C8.1°C | 8.1°C | 109 | 14.9 | 13.113 h |
| November | 16.7°C9.4°C | 9.4°C | 87 | 13.6 | 14.314 h |
| December | 19.1°C11.8°C | 11.8°C | 98 | 13.5 | 15.015 h |
Rainfall is the average of the 30 separate monthly totals. A rain day is a local calendar day with at least 1 mm of precipitation. Daylight is the calculated sunrise-to-sunset length, not measured sunshine.
Compare places
March in nearby cities
- Lower Hutt in MarchNew Zealand · 112 kmHigh 18.5°C · Low 13.6°C · 59 mm rain
- Wellington in MarchNew Zealand · 125 kmHigh 17.2°C · Low 14.0°C · 59 mm rain
- Hastings, New Zealand in MarchNew Zealand · 132 kmHigh 20.8°C · Low 13.0°C · 56 mm rain
- New Plymouth in MarchNew Zealand · 194 kmHigh 19.2°C · Low 13.6°C · 109 mm rain
- Hamilton, New Zealand in MarchNew Zealand · 288 kmHigh 21.4°C · Low 12.8°C · 72 mm rain
- Tauranga in MarchNew Zealand · 301 kmHigh 20.7°C · Low 14.7°C · 96 mm rain
- Manukau City in MarchNew Zealand · 379 kmHigh 21.2°C · Low 15.3°C · 67 mm rain
- Auckland in MarchNew Zealand · 397 kmHigh 21.1°C · Low 15.8°C · 69 mm rain
Read the numbers correctly
Climate, not a promise.
These patterns help compare months. They cannot tell you the weather on a specific day of your trip.
Sources, method and limitsHow these numbers are made (what the highs, lows and rain days mean, the sources and the model cell used for Palmerston North) is explained once on the Palmerston North year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.